HomeDestination

Where to go this summer? Our favorites off-the-beaten path destinations to discover

Where to go this summer? Our favorites off-the-beaten path destinations to discover
Like Tweet Pin it Share Share Email

Discover between Finland and Russia an offbeat version of the safari, push up to Fiji the desire for paradise, celebrate in Louisiana the 300 years of New Orleans… Our selection for the summer season invites to the great escape. New addresses, revisited itineraries, cultural events, to each his alibi.

In Colombia, Medellín

medellin colombiaThe major Colombian cities are emerging from the darkness into which the cartels had plunged them and are now attracting travelers who are keen on authenticity. This circuit should fill them, setting a course for Medellín, the “city of the Eternal Spring,” for the Flower Festival.

Starting from Bogotá, capital perched at 2640 m above sea level, the itinerary crosses the Nevados National Park planted with wax palm trees and stopped in a 200 ha coffee plantation before reaching Medellín. Three days are planned to soak up this city, which has become an example of dynamism and prosperity in Latin America. We discover the emblematic sites, the streets with walls covered with committed street art. With its concerts and silleteros parade, the Flower Festival, which has been celebrated since 1957, is a high point. The journey ends gently in the charming alleys of old Cartagena.

A safari in Karelia

In Karelia, between Finland and Russia, nature has not been impressed by human borders. She reigns supreme, and that is why she is particularly conducive to this unique trip, a Nordic version of the safari that will take place between the two countries. This small group tour (maximum seven people), guided by a French biologist based in Finland, includes beluga whale watching.

In summer, they gather along the coasts of the White Sea, where it is quite easy to see them, especially as the animal likes to observe the curious bipeds that stand on the shore. The Solovetski archipelago will be the historical stage of this trip: In these islands, an old monastery was transformed into a gulag, before returning to its original vocation after the fall of the USSR. The tour will end on the Finnish side, where a “night on the lookout” is planned to try to see the bear or even the glutton, this discreet animal of the boreal forests.

In Ladakh, the Himalayan escape

Karelia
Karelia

Vertiginous panoramas, villages frozen in eternity and perched gompas… To venture into Ladakh is to reconnect with the essence of the journey, the one in which one forgets oneself to find oneself better… Specialist of the destination, Asia proposes a guided itinerary by private vehicle between sky and earth, in the Indus valley to discover its essential monasteries (Thiksey, Hemis, Uletokpo, Lamayuru). A journey punctuated by memorable encounters with a welcoming people proud of its cultural heritage, which the tour operator proposes to enrich with a detour in the Nubra valley, via the highest road in the world.

Glamping enthusiasts will opt for a stay in one of TUTC’s luxury camps, such as Chamba Camp Thiksey, at an altitude of 3500 meters, about 20 minutes from Leh, capital of the ancient kingdom of Ladakh. To note, those who will choose a departure at the end of July will have the chance to attend the sacred dances of the monks on the occasion of the Hemis festival (23 and 24).